Vehicle roof-mounted water tank

ABSTRACT

A water supply assembly for mounting on a vehicle rectangular roof is described. The assembly includes a rigid, rectangular water storage tank with an open center having first and second spaced side sections and at least one end section joining the side sections, the sections including communicating interior chambers, upper and lower surfaces, a water inlet and a water outlet, and roof attachment mounts attached to the lower surface of the tank to secure the tank to the vehicle roof. A discharge control means attached to the water outlet, and a hose having a proximal end attached to the control means. A pump may be located between the tank and the control means to pump water under pressure from the tank to the control means.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/559,399, filed Apr. 2, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a water storage assembly tobe mounted on the top of a vehicle, and in particular to avehicular-mounted storage tank for providing water in isolated locationsfor showering, washing and other purposes.

(2) Description of the Prior Art

Many outdoor activities involve the use of a vehicle, and in particulara vehicle designed for off-road use, such as a Jeep or SUV, as part ofthe activity or as the means of transportations to carry theparticipants to the recreational site. In many such activities, theindividuals often get sweaty and dirty. Their equipment, e.g., surfboards, bicycles, trail bikes and the like, may get dirty as well.

In many circumstances, there is no readily available source of fresh,clean water to enable the individuals to wash themselves and theirequipment, necessitating a return to more civilized areas while dirtyand sweaty, and often depositing dirt from their equipment into thevehicle. A means of avoiding this problem would be greatly appreciatedby many individuals who engage in such activities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Generally the present invention addresses this need by providing a waterstorage assembly that is suitable for mounting on the roof of a vehicle,in particular 4-wheel drive and off-road vehicles that are used in areaswhere water outlets are not readily available. The essential componentsof the assembly are a water storage tank particularly adapted formounting on the roof of a vehicle that is to be used under off-roadconditions. The tank includes an inlet adjacent its upper surface, e.g.,an opening with a screw-on cover, for use in filling the tank withwater, an outlet adjacent the lower surface of the tank for dischargingwater, and a means for mounting the tank on the vehicle roof.Preferably, the device also includes a hose with a showerhead ordischarge nozzle at its distal end, along with means for securing thehose to the tank when the hose is not in use. A pump may be used todischarge the water under pressure, and an accessory mounting means orcarrier may be included for the purpose of carrying items such asbicycles and surfboards on the top of the tank.

Generally, the tank is mounted on a vehicle having a rectangular roofwith parallel side edges and parallel ends joining the ends of the sideedges. The water storage tank is of a rigid structure to withstand therigors of off-road use, and is designed so that the center of thevehicle roof is not covered by the tank, thereby enabling use of theroof for other uses, the opening of a sun roof, or even mounting of thetank on the upper surface of a rectangular framework, herein considereda “roof”, when the vehicle, e.g., a Jeep, is used with the top down.Since one of the advantages of the present apparatus is to provide waterthat is warmed by the sun heating the surface of the preferably darkcolored tank, the present configuration also provides a greater surfacearea, improving heat transfer.

For best availability in use, the tank includes at least one sectionadjacent an edge, e.g., a side edge or an end edge, of the vehicle roof.Preferably, the tank is comprised of two tank sections mountableadjacent the side edges of the vehicle roof, and at least one endsection adjacent an end edge of the vehicle roof, with the sectionsbeing joined with communicating chambers. In the preferred embodiment,the storage tank is in the shape of a rectangular tube with outerdimensions conforming to outer dimensions of the vehicle roof, leavingan open interior so that the center of the roof is exposed. The tankincludes an inlet on its top surface for addition of water to thestorage tank. Generally, the inlet will include a removable, screw-onfiller cap. The storage tank will also include an outlet terminating ina valve-operated faucet for discharge of water from the tank. The outletwill be located adjacent the bottom surface of the tank to facilitategravity feed.

To aid in use for such purposes as showering or washing of items such assurfboards, a hose may be attached to the faucet, and a showerhead, avalved spray nozzle or other accessory may be attached to the distal endof the hose. The hose may remain attached to the faucet, with a clip orother attachment means being provided on the wall of the storage tank tosecure the hose when not in use.

Instead of dispensing water from the tank with only gravity feed, a pumpcan be positioned between the tank discharge opening and the controlvalve or faucet to discharge the water under pressure, e.g.,approximating the pressure experienced with a home shower or gardenhose. The pump preferably includes an electric motor, which can bepowered from the vehicle electrical system or other battery source,e.g., a 12V power source.

Items such as bicycles and surfboards are frequently transported onstorage racks mounted on vehicles, and in particular on the roofs ofoff-road vehicles. The storage device of the present invention furtherincludes a storage rack mounted on the top of the storage tank that issuitable for this purpose. The exact configuration of the storage rackwill depend on the items to be transported. Generally, however, the rackwill include an attachment means on its lower surface for use inattaching the rack to the upper surface of the storage tank, and anupper surface configured to receive the item or items to be transported.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the storage device of the present inventionmounted on a typical off-road vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the storage device of the present inventionmounted on a typical off-road vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an alternative storage device mounted on avehicle with the tank extending only around the side and rear edges ofthe vehicle roof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, terms such as horizontal, upright,vertical, above, below, beneath, and the like, are used solely for thepurpose of clarity in illustrating the invention, and should not betaken as words of limitation. The drawings are for the purpose ofillustrating the invention and are not intended to be to scale.

As shown in the illustrations, storage device, generally 10, shownmounted on a vehicle V, is comprised of a rectangular storage tank 12that is constructed of tubular sections 14 joined at their ends by 90°elbow sections 16. The diameter of the tubular sections may be of anysize desired. Generally, however, the diameter will be from about 4″ toabout 10″. The amount of water held within filled storage tank 12 willdepend on the lengths of the tubular sections and their diameter.Normally, storage tank 12 will be sized to hold from about 10 to about40 gallons of water.

For ease of construction and for cost considerations, the tubularsections and connecting elbows may be constructed of conventional PVCpipe components that are attached together by a solvent adhesive in aknown manner to provide water-proof seals. In order to increase heatabsorption, the tank may be made of black or other dark color material,or painted a dark color. Tank 12 is releasibly attached to the roof ofvehicle V with mounts 18.

Tank 12 includes a filler-capped water inlet 20 used to fill tank 12with water. Inlet 20 is located on the top of tank 12 so that tank 12can be completely filled. Tank 12 also includes an outlet 22,terminating in a faucet 24 or other valved discharge means through whichwater is discharged from tank 12. Hose 26 is connected to faucet 24 andterminates in a showerhead 28. Clip 30 attached to tank 12 is used tostore hose 26 when not in use.

Rack 32, configured in the illustrated embodiment for the transportationof bicycles, is attached to the top of tank 12, and is comprised of twotrough sections for use in mounting two bicycles on the roof of vehicleV, without interfering with storage tank 12. The exact configuration ofrack 32 does not per se form a part of the invention, and it will beobvious to one skilled in the art that racks of various configurationscan be mounted on tank 12.

When used, storage tank 12 is filled with water and vehicle V is drivenin a normal manner. When the user desires to shower or wash an itemwhile in an isolated location where a source of water, or at least warmwater, is not readily available, such as at the beach, the user cansimply turn faucet 24, using optional hose 26 and showerhead 28, ifdesired, to obtain water from tank 12. Due to the positioning of tank 12on the roof of vehicle V, and to the dark coloring of tank 12, the waterwill be warmed by the sun under most weather conditions.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative assembly with tank, generally 40,comprised of spaced, parallel tubular side sections 42 and 44, adjacentthe side edges of vehicle roof R, and joined by a tubular end section 46extending across the rear edge of roof R. As illustrated by cut-awaysection 48, the interior chambers of sections 42, 44 and 46 are incommunication with each other to form a common tank water-holdingchamber. Tank 12 is similarly constructed.

It will be understood that tank 40 may also be reversed so that section46 extends along the front edge of roof R. Tank 40 includes a cappedinlet 48 on top of tank 40 for use in filling tank 40, and a dischargeoutlet 50 adjacent the lower surface of tank 40. Outlet 50 dischargesinto pressurizing pump 52 that includes an electric motor powered by thevehicle's electrical system. Pump 52, in turn, discharges through faucet54 into hose 56 as described with the first alternative.

Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled inthe art upon a reading of the foregoing description. It should beunderstood that all such modifications and improvements have beendeleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but areproperly within the scope of the following claims.

1. A water supply assembly adapted for mounting on a vehicle rectangularroof having parallel side edges and parallel end edges comprising: a) arigid, water storage tank having an open center, upper and lowersurfaces, a water inlet and a water outlet; b) roof attachment mountsattached to the lower surface of said tank to secure said tank to thevehicle roof; and c) discharge control means attached to said wateroutlet.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said tank includes first andsecond spaced side sections mountable adjacent said roof side edges andat least one transverse section joining said side sections, saidsections including communicating interior chambers.
 3. The assembly ofclaim 1, wherein said tank is rectangular with an outer peripherycorresponding to the outer periphery of said roof.
 4. The assembly ofclaim 1, further including a carrier attached to the upper surface ofsaid tank.
 5. The assembly of claim 1, further including a hose having aproximal end attached to said control means and a distal end.
 6. Theassembly of claim 1, further including a pump between said tank and saidcontrol means to pump water under pressure from said tank to saidcontrol means.
 7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said tank iscomprised of spaced, parallel tubular side sections and parallel tubularend sections, said end sections being joined to said side sections by90° elbow sections.
 8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said tank isconstructed of plastic pipe having a black outer surface.
 9. A watersupply assembly adapted for mounting on a vehicle rectangular roofhaving an outer periphery, parallel sides and parallel ends comprising:a) a rigid, rectangular water storage tank with an open center havingfirst and second spaced side sections and at least one end sectionjoining said side sections, said sections including communicatinginterior chambers, upper and lower surfaces, a water inlet and a wateroutlet; b) roof attachment mounts attached to the lower surface of saidtank to secure said tank to the vehicle roof; and c) discharge controlmeans attached to said water outlet.
 10. The assembly of claim 9,wherein said tank is rectangular with an outer periphery correspondingto the outer periphery of said roof.
 11. The assembly of claim 9,further including a carrier attached to the upper surface of said tank.12. The assembly of claim 9, further including a hose having a proximalend attached to said control means and a distal end.
 13. The assembly ofclaim 9, further including a pump between said tank and said controlmeans to pump water under pressure from said tank to said control means.14. The assembly of claim 9, wherein said tank is comprised of spaced,parallel tubular side sections and parallel tubular end sections, saidend sections being joined to said side sections by 90° elbow sections.15. The assembly of claim 9, wherein said tank is constructed of plasticpipe having a black outer surface.
 16. A water supply assembly adaptedfor mounting on a vehicle rectangular roof having an outer periphery,parallel sides and parallel ends comprising: a) a rigid, rectangularwater storage tank with an open center having first and second spacedside sections and at least one end section joining said side sections,said sections including communicating interior chambers, upper and lowersurfaces, a water inlet and a water outlet; b) roof attachment mountsattached to the lower surface of said tank to secure said tank to thevehicle roof; c) discharge control means attached to said water outlet;d) a hose having a proximal end attached to said control means and adistal end; and e) a pump between said tank and said control means topump water under pressure from said tank to said control means.
 17. Theassembly of claim 16, further including a carrier attached to the uppersurface of said tank.
 18. The assembly of claim 16, further including ashowerhead attached to the distal end of said hose.
 19. The assembly ofclaim 16, further including a hose clip on said tank.
 20. The assemblyof claim 16, wherein said tank is constructed of plastic pipe having ablack outer surface.